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While the United States is a country of immigrants, the National Football League is largely dominated by US-born athletes. Just five percent of participants are born abroad, and the majority of them step into the game by going to university in the US. Genuine outsiders are unusual, and coaches from abroad are especially scarce, which makes James Cook’s story exceptional.

Cook’s Surprising Path to the NFL

For the past six months, Cook has been in charge of player development at the Browns organization. That’s an achievement in itself, but it’s extraordinary given he was raised in England, is in his late 20s, and never played professional sport. Cook first saw the NFL as a 12-year-old while surfing channels with his father and stumbled upon what he described as a “weird and wonderful” sport. He began participating in his area and quickly aspired to become the first-ever NFL QB born in Europe. He got as far as playing for Team GB, but his dreams to go to university in the US proved too expensive.

“I scooped popcorn, cleaning seats, flipping burgers, handling a bit of everything. Any time the NFL guys wanted me, I would switch my schedule and help out. As a quarterback, the key skill I had was I could throw. So when they trained with players, I’d show up around London and throw the ball to them. I didn’t get paid, but they’d often buy me lunch.”

It was here that he encountered Aden Durde, who had stints with the Panthers and Chiefs during his playing days before he set up the IPP program in 2017 with two-time Super Bowl winner Umenyiora. When Durde became part of the coaching team at the Atlanta Falcons, becoming the first UK full-time coach in NFL annals, Cook assumed control of the IPP. “I enjoyed a lot of fun with it, coaching some really interesting players,” he recalls. “We had Louis Rees-Zammit; Clayton, who got drafted by Buffalo; Charlie Smyth, the kicker from Ireland who’s now with the New Orleans. I traveled to Down Under to work with aspiring athletes from around the Pacific region to get them into college football, like what I had hoped to do.”

Transitioning to NFL Coaching

Like his predecessor before him, Cook transitioned from working with foreign players to coaching in the NFL. “The Browns contacted me out of the blue,” he says. “They had a multi-faceted position supporting rookies, optimizing efficiency on the training ground, working closely with physios, the coach and GM. It’s a really active role, which is perfect for me. My background was guiding international athletes who had never played the game. Rookie newcomers also have to build habits and routines: learning to take care of their health and deal with a huge game plan. But also just being available for guys. That’s the identical everywhere. And I love that.”

Is being an Englishman who did not compete in the NFL hold him back? “It’s largely a imagined hurdle than an actual one,” says Cook. “I get a lot of reverse Ted Lasso comments and many players call me ‘bruv’ as they love that. It’s more about monitoring my language. I use ‘trash can’ not ‘rubbish bin’. But we feel anxious or under pressure about the similar things and need support in the identical ways. If players know you can assist them, they don’t care where you’re from or what accent. And when players know that you care, all the rest melts away.”

Benefits of Coming From Beyond the NFL Bubble

Originating from beyond the NFL bubble has its upsides. “I spoke in front of the whole squad soon after joining, and, as we left, one of our offensive linemen wanted to talk rugby with me as he enjoys it. You make those connections and form friendships. Teammates are genuinely intrigued. NFL buildings are more diverse than people think. We have staff from all sorts of origins, a range of experiences. Our mantra at IPP was: ‘Stand out – you are unique so lean into it.’ It’s something to celebrate.”

The NFL has been better at producing international supporters than nurturing foreign players. Jordan Mailata, a former rugby player from Australia who won the Super Bowl earlier this year with the Eagles, is among the rare IPP players to have risen to the very top.

Foreign Athletes and Their Journeys

International athletes have usually been kickers, brought in from other football codes. Howfield exchanged soccer for English clubs for becoming a kicker for the Broncos and New York Jets; Mick Luckhurst transitioned from rugby union in St Albans to the Atlanta Falcons team. If you do not want to be a kicker and did not educated in the American system, it’s extremely difficult to make the leap to the NFL.

Ayo Oyelola, a native of London who played for Chelsea’s academy before discovering American football at university, has achieved that. He played in the CFL for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before moving to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Steelers.

Maximilian Pircher’s story is just as improbable. At 6ft 7in and heavyweight, the Italian was obviously not built for his preferred games, football and handball, so started the NFL in his teenage years. He stood out while playing for teams in Europe and Europe, as well as the Italy team, and was given a place on the IPP in that year.

A year later, he had his hands on the championship trophy as a member of the Rams practice squad. Pircher went on to have periods on the periphery at the Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders, before he joined the Vikings at the late summer. He has been well-liked in every locker room but is yet to see game time on the field. Is being a foreigner still a challenge?

“It isn’t difficult, not a barrier,” notes the 26-year-old. “We have players from various regions, so it isn’t an issue. At first, they inquire: ‘You got an accent – what’s your background?’ But, once we clarify that, we’re all friends. The Vikings have a very inclusive culture, a excellent squad, a great franchise.”

Although spending the majority of practice with his fellow offensive linemen, Pircher has immersed himself in the team dynamics at his teams. “Naturally the offensive line is consistently very tight because we are a group and united, but we have mates from every position group. My close friend, Akers – my wedding witness, actually – played receiver at the Rams. The specialist from the Green Bay, Orzech, is a close pal: we shared a home for a while at the Rams. QBs, defensive linemen, specialists: we’ve got to be supportive.”

Motivating the Future

Pircher is aware he represents not only his home countries. “In my view all the countries outside the US. The more successful each one of us does, the greater number of young people who play football in Italy, in Europe, anywhere, can realize: ‘It can be done – if I dedicate myself every day, I can succeed.’ I have a lot of kids contacting me, asking for tips. It’s rewarding to encourage them to experience what I’ve achieved.”

The program alumni are all invited to the US annually to train the next wave of potential NFL outsiders. “Virtually everyone of us come back